#“I'm about to punch you” lmao

[scentofpines]

my brother is visiting us again and i'm soooo fucking doneeee he is so annoying omg

[ayrennaranaaldmeri]

Listen, I think Solas haters deserved an ending that feels satisfying to them, but John Epler is such a fucking baby lmao wat.

I mean can you imagine sitting through many work meetings and John Epler keeps telling you his Solas punching fantasy during them? This is some real cringe.

[dustykneed]

pietà (*major spoilers for st:id! death cw!*) full image below additional spacer.

i like to think that aos bones has an interesting relationship with parenthood...

especially pertaining to his relationship with jim. not that he sees jim as his son, necessarily (i don't think they're deliberately portrayed that way in canon, nor do i headcanon them like that, but honestly fandom is fun because we all have fun in our sandbox, so if anyone happens to see them that way, neat!)

but when you're a parent, and at the same time a parent friend, it's easy to take the path of least resistance when it comes to defining the undefinable relationship you have with this guy you can't seem to live without.

is he your captain? your best friend? your patient? a command prodigy and a tactical genius? a sight for sore eyes? your personal nuisance? the one and only person you can't seem to get rid of, who drags you places you hate and points out everything beautiful to you and beams like he won the lottery when you can't help but grin just a little, who brings the light back into places you forgot could be lit up like the dawn, who saw you at your worst while actively at his own worst, and plopped his fool ass down and decided you were worth fighting for?

and that's a lot of things. especially many when you're fighting tooth and nail to keep his scrap-happy ass intact and also keep an eye on a whole starshipful of people. it's a lot easier to stick to what you know-- whatever is the least risky, the safest option, one that could never possibly backfire and bite you in the ass. sometimes you forget he could see you as anything other than a parent (give or take the friend.) but parenthood goes hand in hand with grief. parenthood has its own set of burdens. but it's easy to put yourself in that box and pretend to forget about all the other boxes, collecting dust in the closet, and sometimes he prods at the closet door with something pleading in his eyes. you pretend not to see that, either.

...you don't take it well, when he dies.

[greghatecrimes]

Season 6 of House was in 2009... Dragon Age: Origins was also released in 2009... I just think that if Thirteen played it, she would have had her Warden romance Leliana...

[softpine]

This might be juvenile, but do you have any tips on not comparing yourself to others? (Especially when it comes to note count or popularity.) I’ve been posting a story for over a year and it hardly gets any traction. It’s tough for me to see new creators post and get hundreds or even thousands of notes. I hate that I’m doing this but don’t know how to quit it!

this is not juvenile!! i struggle with this myself, especially knowing that i hit my peak years ago and i've been on the decline ever since – but only by numbers alone! i'm more proud of my story than i've ever been, i'm more attached to my characters, i'm putting more love and thought into everything, but i had to be realistic with myself and understand that i'll never pull even half the notes i did in 2020. gone are the days when i would wake up to 3 new anons about my story and dms from people every day (i can't believe i used to get overwhelmed by it...) and i would be lying if i said it didn't make me sad sometimes, because we're humans and our brains are practically wired to crave the hit of happy chemicals you get from seeing the stupid number go up 😭 it does feel demotivating. it makes me feel less urgency to post quicker if i convince myself that no one is waiting for me anyway, which means i post less, which means even less people stick around, which makes me post less, and on and on. it's a tough thing for me to come to terms with in all honesty.

but it helps to remember that i would be writing even if no one is reading. and i know that, because i have! i've written entire novel-length fics that i've never published, i've written countless short stories in the frozen pines universe that i'll never post, i've created alternate universes that will never be shown, etc. i do it because the idea is in my head and it needs to Get Out and i'm kinda just a conduit for that. that might not apply to you, and that's okay! everyone is different. the important thing is to really sit down and think about WHY you write and what you get out of it. which part of the process makes you happiest? what makes you feel a sense of fulfillment / satisfaction? play to your strengths. try not to spend your time doing things you think other people will enjoy and instead, spend more time on the things that make you happy. for me, i haaaaate editing and i always have, so lately i've been trying to speed through it a little bit quicker even if it means the final product won't be as appealing to others. (this is still a work in progress for me...) i have more fun when i experiment with different writing styles, which might not appeal to others because it takes longer and i don't really have a recognizable style, but i don't care anymore because i'm having fun! ask yourself what YOU want from your story, and then write for yourself and only yourself.

essentially what i'm saying is: there will ALWAYS be people more popular than you, and there's no guarantee that when you find the popularity you seek, you'll be able to keep it. so you need to find some sort of intrinsic motivation to continue or you'll just keep comparing yourself to others forever and you'll deny yourself the joy of creation! "comparison is the thief of joy" could not be more true!!

[kazz-brekker]

love that every clip we've gotten of the rings of power premiere so far is just sauron evidently having the time of his life lying by omission during his conversations with adar

[crystalkitty1220]

Man I wonder where the leader of the fear realm could've gone, it's alMOST LIKE NEVIN HAS AN

[okaioh]

do you think that q!phil felt a warm presence by his side while sleeping - in between conscious and unconscious there's this feeling that he's being stared at and that there's something or someone lying there next to him - the deepest part of his mind tells him he knows whoever or whatever it is is safe so he, just, scoots closer to it. Said person (or thing) makes a quiet noise but nonetheless the warm presence q!phil felt becomes a warm embrace - and with a soft hum in the back of his throat, he relaxes completely before going back to his deep sleep

meanwhile, q!missa feels like he got run over by ten trucks but he smiles so big and wide and hugs q!phil a little tighter before also falling asleep

[moonchild-in-blue]

Can someone please either validate me or send me to the Corner of Shame? This is very silly but I'm wondering.

So. I was talking to my sister the other day about movies and such, and she told me of one she recently watched with this one actor. And I casually mentioned how much I hated him. Not in a "he's a bad actor" or "he's a bad person" way. Nothing to do with whether I find him attractive or not. Just in a "he looks the most punchable guy on earth and I have this irrational rage against him" way, to the point that I just can't watch movies with him without being annoyed.

My sister looked at me like I was crazy because, "what do you mean you hate the guy". And I told her yeah? That's normal? Don't you have at least one person you can't stand for no reason?

Sister was like 😬😬😬 No??? Which is wild to me, because I could easily name 50 (which I did - not 50 but we were getting close to 20 before i got too annoyed lmao).

Now she thinks I'm slightly insane (/j) (I made myself angry and may have referred to a few individuals as "stupid" and "obnoxious"), and I kinda don't believe I am the only person alive who feels this way. But also she's an incredibly empathetic extrovert, while I'm a very low empath socially anxious creechur so. There's that?? I guess ?? Idk.

Can anyone relate to this? Or am I the weird one?

Also wait. Little disclaimer: I am not generally a violent person AT ALL. Do i get annoyed and angry easily? Yeah. Do I feel like bitch slapping someone right across their stupid face? Yeah, sometimes, sure. Do I do something about it? Not really.

I can be real bitchy and extra sarcastic and petty SURE, but that's the most I'll do if I am legitimately angry. Mostly I just go to my room and cry 🥺 (crying when angry yes it me). So yeah. Before yall think I have unsolved anger issues.

[birb--birb]

my bestie: hey I did this tarot spread and it was EXTREMELY pointed with me, you should do it too and we can both suffer from our cards (lovingly) bullying us me: alright bet also me: pulls 3 major arcana

[im-goin-mad]

alt people thinking others don't like them because they're alt like no babe you're trying to gatekeep stuff i could find on amazon

[blujayonthewing]

one problem with the english language is there's no gender-neutral form of address with the same emphatic punch as "SIR."

[atypical-artisan]

I did some ship chart stuff a while ago and I've been sitting on it for too long lmao. So here it is with some bonus colors as well!! Original is by redcrowz here

(Btw this is more my headcanons about the inter-character relationships than my feelings on the ship itself cause I don't care too much about them aside from otps, lol.)

Color-coded versions with more analysis under the cut

I'd like to add that I think all the circuit are their own friend groups except the special circuit because the bruiser bros don't have many friends. I have more friendships as well, but this is meant to be the more important friendships, lol.

Narcis and Dragon + Heike are a bit of a given since they're the youngest boxers in the West coast wvba gang, so they quickly became friends and started hanging out together despite their different skill levels.

Hoy and Gabby are friends mostly because they're the oldest boxers, though Hoy still sees Gabby as a 'kid', much like the rest of his co-workers. Gabby doesn't mind though, he thinks it's funny.

Dragon and Hoy are another pair that sprung up due to coincidence. When Dragon first came to the US, he knew nothing about it and Hoy took him under his wing and kept close watch on him, bonding over shared culture and experiences. Even though they speak different forms of Chinese, they got along really well and still remain close.

Gabby and Joe are in a similar boat. Gabby watched over and befriended Joe when he was younger and they've had a very familial relationship since. Gabby and Joe see each other basically as surrogate brothers and by now nothing can change that.

Joe and Bob are more of a weird pair, bonding over a love of music and singing after having met through Gabby. They chill together when in the same city and Joe sometimes makes guest apperances singing/playing piano for Bob's music.

Clown and Bear are second cousins twice removed via marriage and met at a wedding in Italy. They were overjoyed to see each other in the ring again and have their 'buddy I went on hijinks with at that one wedding' back!

Bear is friends with Sandman and SMM mostly because they're all Jewish and feel a lot of solidarity because of that. They like to have debates about anything and anything they can think of which, though they can get heated, are all in good fun.

Hondo and Carmen are friends through Don and are often seen talking about sailor moon together.

Carmen and Disco meeting was a complete accident as they ran into each other at a salon once and got into a conversation about their hair (And bleaching it). They were both really surprised to meet each other in the wvba building and laughed their asses off at the whole situation.

Disco is friends with Doc exclusively because they both like disco music. Disco adores Doc's leopard print jacket and looks up to him as a boxer as well.

Disco is buddies with Sandman and Soda mostly cause he thinks they're both cool. With Soda especially, they share a very bouncy and positive look on life as well a a sense of humor. Sandman is someone he just really respects and vibes with.

Hippo and SMM are big surfing buddies and hang out mostly because of that. Also Macho really likes Hippo's Hot Wheels collection and has contributed to it many times.

Pretty much everyone dislikes the bruiser bros but I put the especially bad relationships down here.

Sandy doesn't like them especially because, though he tries to be neutral, he gets the worst vibes and especially doesn't like Nick for being such an asshole to Joe.

Hoy... well Nick is just ablest to him, saying that if he needs a staff to get around he's too pathetic to be a boxer.

Nick didn't take his loss to Joe well whatsoever and harassed him for months. It got so bad Joe needed a restraining order. He never told Mr. Dream because he's too scared of what either of the brothers might do as revenge.

Pizza just loathes Clown because he thinks Clown makes their country look like a joke. This is part of the reason why he no longer even watches boxing.

These are guys I just hc as aro so no romance for them. Though Mr. Dream is pretty positive about romance himself, Macho and Hippo are more negative about it and don't want it in their lives.

These are 'other' characters I ship the guys with. Bear and Pizza both have wives they adore and Disco has a boyfriend stuck in another state.

Not pictured: All of Carmen and Don's side-partners.

For Don and Hondo, their relationship is complicated due to them being mutually in love but unable to bring romance into their relationship because Don agreed that Carmen would be his only romantic involvement.

Pizza, Dream, and Doc all fought together back in the day, once close friends, but drifted after Pizza left the boxing world and America itself due to mob threats. Deep down, he still misses them.

This is characters who have a mutual crush, but won't really pursue those relationships.

Aran and Mask really admire each other's cheating but mutually agree that a relationship between them, especially a long-distance one, just wouldn't work. They meet up every once and a while to hang out and mess around, though.

Hondo kinda has a crush on Carmen, and vice versa, but Hondo is scared to pursue anything with her due to the whole thing with Don.

Don is crushing hard on Joe and Joe would happily reciprocate a date, but Don is having a hard enough time dealing with his love for Hondo so he refuses to pursue Joe. Joe meanwhile thinks Don is taken fully and loathes the idea of 'taking' him from Carmen.

Sandy and Joe have a strong mutual crush but are too scared of each other to do anything about it. Joe looks down on himself a lot and thinks Sandy would think he's weird. Sandy meanwhile is scared of hurting Joe and thinks Joe secretly fears him.

These are one-sided crushes, the arrow points to who has a crush on who.

Narcis and Don both really like Wii Aran, but he doesn't feel much the same. Narcis doesn't try to hide his feelings much but Don definitely does. Aran doesn't hate either of them (Okay, he used to hate Narcis because he dislikes British people by default) and might even consider a relationship with either if they brought it up to him. However, he just wouldn't be able to trust them or develop feelings on the same level.

Disco has always had a mild crush on Heike but it's never been reciprocated. Heike is aware of Disco's crush and has put out very gentle hints that he really likes Dragon instead.

Kaiser has always liked Joe a lot, but never dropped hints or let Joe know. Joe's feelings are complex because though he thinks he still likes Kaiser romantically, he doesn't actually love him like that or want them to be anything more than close friends.

Nick has a raging crush on Joe and HATES IT. He hates himself, he hates Joe more, and he's madly obsessed with the guy who beat him. Joe is 100% oblivious. It's chaos.

And now my very weird otps!!!

Joe/Aran (Burnt Bread) is obvious as my fave. I just think that their dynamic is perfect for what the other really wants in life. For Joe, he wants to be bold and brash and embrace his weird side like Aran. For Aran, he wants to be able to accept that he actually has people who care about him and have more stability and trust both in his life and relationships like Joe. Also I like the idea of Joe just becoming so weird because of Aran, it's hilarious. They're perfect for each other.

Don/Carmen (Perfecto) is obviously perfect (Or as close as you can get). It's a long-lasting love from childhood situation with these two, almost like a fairytale. They've loved each other deeply for years and years and had plans for marriage since they were kids. Even while loving other people, they're each other's soulmate. If they were to ever separate, they'd both be devastated. This ship is perfect for angst and drama as they balance their love for each other with their desire for others and deal with all the emotional chaos that can bring.

Kaiser/Tiger (Magic Combat Boots)... Okay, I'll admit, this one is weird. I don't remember what drew me to ship them in the first place- maybe some fanart, maybe the shared 'stache power, idk. But no matter what it was, this relationship is like a marshmallow, sweet, soft, and easy. Tiger and Kaiser come off, to me, as very normal guys who are straightforward and down to earth and are the types who don't need a lot of chaos in their love lives. This ship is 110% fluff and very mellow- no drama, no chaos, just two aro/aspec dudes with great mustaches falling in love. I also like the dynamic of Tiger becoming a parent to Kaiser's adopted boys as well :).

Bull/Soda (Angry and Sweet) is the cat/dog dynamic I have for punch out. Though they don't have opposite personalities, they do contrast a lot and have different ways of approaching life. However, they definitely desire each other for such strong personalities and find a mutual bond in a lot of their traumas and with being gentle to each other. Another fluffy ship, but with a lot more angst potential with how I write their backstories.

Bob/Hurricane (Hurricane Shuffle) this one is another 'opposites attract' type ship. This time however it's an introvert/extrovert pairing. Bob is a huge overwhelming extrovert and Hurricane is a self-conscious introvert. They're the type to not stray form their comfort zones, but with each other's help, they both grow more mature and comfortable with their lives. Though there's definitely drama to be had with them, there isn't much angst and much more fluff.

Heike/Dragon (Mandarin Ducklings) is all about young, inexperienced love. These two are some of the youngest boxers, so it makes sense for their relationship to be kinda clunky and awkward, in a cute way of course. For them, it would be chaotic and strange to deal with since they're each other's first serious relationship. A lot of this ship, imo, is about figuring things out, dealing with common problems, and just navigating through love! Sweet in a super chaotic way.

Narcis/Snes Aran (Prince and the pauper) is an unlikely friends to lovers story. Despite Narcis being kind of a brat, there isn't any initial dislike between him and Snes Aran like I hc with him and Wii Aran. Instead, I think Snes Aran starts hanging with him to satiate his own curiosity, before actually coming to like him a lot, and vice versa. Snes is head over heels for Narcis and ends up following him around as his bestie for a time before Narcis realizes he LIKE likes this un-civil, low-class guy. Snes is Narcis' bro and backs him up whenever and doesn't challenge him very much at all, while Narcis not only doesn't look down on snes but does what he can to make him feel equal. And that's what they want in relationships!

[cannibalisam]

i have fully been converted into a john winchester apologist at this point but i still don't want to watch the winchesters because it just doesn't look like. Fun

[bat-the-misfit]

"disappointment" is when you show a drawing of the main male character of the book you're writing to your mother and she says he's "kinda ugly" as if he had the responsability of being handsome for being the Main Male Character (tm)

[happy10thousandyears]

Also obligatory trigger warning for anyone that follows me that's curious about DoL (degrees of lewd!ty) it's like a r18 text based rpg happening in a town (affected by supernatural evil??) where people have an abnormal desire to do sexual activities (including sexually assault the player character)